This review covers the first four episodes of Wednesday's second season. Jenna Ortega remains a very good reason to return to Nevermore. The show's macabre visual imagination also survives intact. Its storytelling, however, is less focused: too many supporting characters and competing plots make the first half feel busier without necessarily making it richer.
The new mystery supplies tension, but the surrounding stories repeatedly interrupt its momentum. Pugsley's zombie subplot is one example of material that draws attention away from Wednesday. The series seems determined to give everyone something to do, even when a stronger sense of priority would serve the central story better.
Ortega combines Wednesday's impenetrable manner with carefully controlled humour. Steve Buscemi brings warmth and eccentricity as the new principal, Billie Piper has sharp presence, and Joanna Lumley makes an immediate impression as Grandmama. Emma Myers is a particularly welcome development: Enid gets room to grow and becomes a more substantial counterpart to Wednesday.
The look is still a major attraction. The macabre sets, deliberate colour accents and unusual perspectives carry Tim Burton's creative influence. Some scenes feel like moving paintings. That atmosphere makes even less satisfying stretches enjoyable to watch.
The mixture of mystery, horror, teenage drama and comedy is less balanced this time. Bitter humour and suspense sit alongside moments of high-school sentimentality, and the crowded plotting reduces the force of some emotional scenes. There is a lot of show here; sharper selection would help it land.
I enjoyed every episode nonetheless. The first part ends on an effective cliffhanger, and Ortega's presence keeps the weaker material watchable. My judgment concerns this opening half: stylish, atmospheric and well acted, but uneven and overburdened. It establishes considerable potential without yet giving all those storylines the shape they need.